This invention relates generally to electrical connectors and more specifically to covers for electrical connectors which have a plurality of electric wires extending out of an end of an insulator body.
This invention may be used in combination with the invention of my co-pending patent application U.S. Ser. No. 07/490,202 filed Mar. 8, 1990.
It is already known to provide covers which are attached to insulator bodies of electrical connectors to protect and route several electric wires extending out of the insulator body. See for instance, U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,765 granted to Earl A. Gilmore and Kenneth E. Merklen Apr. 1, 1975 which discloses a connector cover which is constructed of sheet material and shaped to cooperate with a tying strap for the electric wires. The tying strap may be a separate wire, string or cord or it may be a plastic strap which is attached to the cover by heat welding or through use of a separate fastener. Thus these prior art constructions require manufacture of a separate tying strap which then must either be handled as a loose piece until final assembly or attached to the cover by a secondary manufacturing process. Either alternative is time consuming and costly.
Another drawback of these prior art constructions is that the tying straps are not suitable for securing convoluted conduit which is commonly used to wrap the electric wires of wiring harnesses, particularly in automotive applications. See for instance, U.S. Pat. No. 3,711,632 granted to Paul S. Ghirardi Jan. 16, 1973; U.S. Pat. No. 3,711,633 granted to Paul S. Ghirardi and Eugene V. McGowan Jan. 16 1973; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,358 granted to James K. Kohut Nov. 15, 1988 which show fittings and cable straps for convoluted conduit.